Loft inaccessible - can I leave it that way when selling?

canaldumidi

12 years and now you're wondering what to do and what might be up there.....?

eddddy

Just to cover off one remote possibility - is your house freehold? If it's leasehold, it's very unusual, but some leasehold houses don't include the loft.

How old is your terraced house? If it's very old, there may not be party walls between the the loft spaces. That might be why a previous owner securely fixed the hatch shut - to stop people getting into the loft in another house in the terrace, and then coming down into your house via the hatch.

You could ask your neighbours about their lofts and whether there are party walls. If there aren't any, that might be one way of accessing your loft space to see it's condition, etc.

But if there are no party walls, it's likely that your buyer's mortgage lender will insist that party walls are built, to reduce the risk of fire spreading.

youth_leader

I agree with others that buyers/surveyors will want to see the loft.  I laughed when someone asked if our loft was boarded, we had to spend every penny we had on other more urgent things. 

TheMightyShowerHead

If you're selling then you'll need to get an EPC. And I think one of the criteria is to measure the insulation in the loft space. 
I know they will "assume" based on year and style wall and floor insulation. I don't know if they'd do the same with the loft if it wasn't accessable. I assume so. 

If you do go up though please update know what you find. 

robatwork

TheMightyShowerHead said:

If you do go up though please update know what you find. 

3-1 ON Bag for Life
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Snow_Angel

Ok. You absolutely have to check and see what's up there because we all now HAVE to know! 

Murphybear

robatwork said:

TheMightyShowerHead said:

If you do go up though please update know what you find. 

3-1 ON Bag for Life
Evens Dead Dog
10-1 Rudder from Marie Celeste
1000-1 Scribbled solution to Fermat's Last Theorum

Fermat's Last Theorem was solved a few years ago 

Noneforit999

The valuation fella our buyers lender sent round wanted to see in the loft, even brought his own ladders.

Any buyer that gets a homebuyers report or other survey is going to expect access to the loft also.

As others have said, figure out a way to get in there and clear it.

We have live in our house 6 years and its surprising the amount of stuff you ram in the loft. 

caprikid1

OP I would need to see !! I could not have last a few days. I have a tiny hatch sealed in my house to a very small loft void and I am tempted.

For inspiration ..

Secret Room 2 ....... "Nazi Bunker" - Page 1 - The Lounge - PistonHeads UK

Skiddaw1

Shergar? Lord Lucan? Flight MH370?

OP, please, please please open the loft. We HAVE to know!